Fall of Rain 1: Bad Omens
by CricketclawAndEevee
Summary: A prophecy... reversed. The good is evil and the evil is good... Three rogue kits who were abandoned by their parents take refuge in RainClan. They claim their names as Destiny, Shark, and Orca. As life unfolds for the she-kit Destiny, she discovers something about herself that could endanger the life of the Clans.
1. Chapter 1

~You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.~

_-Christopher Columbus_

DARKNESS COATED THE FOREST, broken only by a tiny beam of light shining through the trees on the RainClan medicine den. The moonlight was little. A she-cat, yearning for a beacon, padded toward the medicine den. Inside was the silhouette of a warrior, lying there still.

The warrior was asleep. And Wintermist should have been, too.

The medicine cat yawned, stretched, and curled up in an unoccupied nest.

Dreams of the nursery and the kits inside it filled her sleep until sunrise signaled the arrival of morning. Cats of all ages crawled out of the dens. The warrior groaned and remained in his bed.

"Can you get me more herbs, Wintermist?" Pumaflight meowed.

"Sure, hold on a moment." The she-cat whipped around and reached for the herbs with her mouth. "But these are Catmints. They relieve your pain a little bit. They cure Greencough. But they have crazy side effects."

"Catmint is fine," the tom purred, rolling around. "I enjoy it."

The tom slinked along the forest floor slowly. It was slightly dark under the mass of foliage that towered over him. He crept toward the rabbit. The prey had not seen him yet.

The coast was clear. The warrior darted toward the prey and grabbed its neck before the animal had any chance to react. After suffocating the prey, the cat looked around and bolted in the other direction. Before he could, though, another cat spotted him.

"Tigerfang!" Skyclaw hissed. "Get out of here! Or have you given up on the Warrior Code?"

Tigerfang hissed back, "This territory is rightfully _mine. _I will fight for it, you hear?"

"Give us the food. A lot of our cats are starving. And you caught this in RainClan territory. What makes this territory yours? You're not part of RainClan."

"If I say something is mine, it's mine!" Tigerfang leaped for Skyclaw, claws outstretched.

With ears flat and teeth bared, the she-cat dodged the attack and bit the tom's throat, ruthlessly ripping at it.

"Fox-dung!" Tigerfang yowled in pain. "Let me go! Please! I'll give you the food and never hunt in your territory again! I promise!"

Thunderclaw, Riverclaw, Shadowclaw, and Windclaw jumped out of the bushes. Skyclaw hesitantly loosened her grip on the tom's neck.

Whimpering, Tigerfang limped away. The rabbit he had killed was in Thunderclaw's paws.

"That was close," the panting Skyclaw meowed. "I'm tired. I think he drew blood."

"Let's get you to the medicine den," Windclaw meowed.

Within a few moments, the injured she-cat was lying in a nest in the medicine den, Wintermist standing over her.

"Are you okay?" the medicine cat asked. "Do you want some Catmint? It helps relieve your pain. The bleeding will stop by itself."

"I'm okay, thanks," Skyclaw meowed. "Er, actually, give me a little bit."

The warrior became wide-eyed when she ate the herb. "More!" She began pacing.

Pumaflight yawned. "I just had Catmint, but it didn't do that to me."

"It does that to some cats," Wintermist meowed, "But it makes others tired. When it does that, it distracts you from your pain. It also cures Whitecough and Greencough.

"Huh," the tom sighed. "I'm out." He drifted to sleep within moments.

Grasskit yawned and stretched, peering at the newborn Beetlekit and Cricketkit, and padded out of the nursery. Destiny followed shortly thereafter. The two laid down and batted at each others' noses, which was followed by a fun yet clumsily played game of chase. The other kits suddenly dashed out of the nursery and began to cause a lot of racket, running around and falling over. Orca watched them play and crouched into a pouncing position.

Shark rolled his eyes and leapt at his brother. "You're it!"

All of the five-moon-olds were having lots of fun. Destiny sighed, squirming out of Flowerkit's grasp, and stepped out of the crowd to the edge of the water where she sat.

"Don't be shy, she-kit!" Treekit giggled. "Come play!"

"No thank you," she responded, "I need to ponder."

The other kit shrugged and turned to continue the fun and games. Destiny curled into a tight ball and began to think- what her purpose was, why she was found by RainClan, why she had that dream about the ginger toms, and why her name even was Destiny in the first place. It wasn't a coincidence. StarClan must have been involved.

_A prophecy… about what?_


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting patiently and waiting was one of Destiny's worst nightmares.

But here she sat, bored to death, her tiny brain yearning for stimulation. _These gatherings are boring. When will SnowClan get here?_

"Welcome to the gathering," Titanstar meowed, "SnowClan will be here shortly. In the meantime, please occupy yourself by talking with another cat, or by playing chase if you're a kit or apprentice. Thanks for your patience."

_Please, oh please, get this over with. StarClan, do anything to get me out of this._

Days seemed to go by while the wait for SnowClan continued. The only cat from this Clan who came, however, was a clueless apprentice by the name of Whitepaw. Eventually, moonhigh passed, and the two leaders there were forced to start without Blizzardstar.

"Um, welcome to the gathering once again. I guess I will begin," Titanstar mewed. "It appears SnowClan is running very late, so we will proceed. I will start off with a few announcements."

All of a sudden a vast blanket of murmurs swept through the clearing. For a few heartbeats, Destiny felt like she was in the middle of a busy twolegplace, noise amplified to be 100 times louder, it seemed.

"First of all," meowed Titanstar as the cats silenced, "may I ask for everyone's help on this? One of our warriors, Pumaflight, is suffering from Greencough. May StarClan light his path and watch over him."

The two Clans that had gathered all began to whisper to themselves. Destiny sat quietly, uncomfortably. _This crowd makes me want to bolt._

"Now, for a slightly more urgent matter. Earlier today, a warrior named Skyclaw who was on the morning patrol was attacked by the SunClan warrior Tigerfang. He took a bigger hit than our warrior, but we ask you to keep within your borders."

"Wrong! All wrong!" Houndstar shouted. "Tigerfang was hunting- _outside _of your borders, mind you- and was attacked by Skyclaw. He had to give up his fresh-kill and was badly injured. You could have killed him! _You _are the one who should keep your warriors under control!"

"Can you stop yowling and listen?" the RainClan leader hissed. "According to Skyclaw, it happened in the marsh, which is our territory. Tigerfang claimed that it was _his _territoryand attacked our warrior. She ripped at his throat and made him give up the rabbit he had caught. In the midst of it, Skyclaw ended up with a bleeding leg. I know your warrior ended up faring much worse scars, but we will do that again if necessary. Please refrain from breaking the Warrior Code, especially since it's leaf-bare and a lot of our cats are starving. The marsh has the worst leaf-bare."

"It's true," Tigerfang mewed weakly as he limped up next to Houndstar. "I did that. I promised I would never do it again." His voice cracked and was barely audible, but he didn't bother speaking up. "Truth is, after I recovered from this, I would bring the patrol and invade. I know, however, that I am not the leader of the Clan. Also, I know RainClan stands strong despite terrible circumstances. I sincerely apologize. I was mouse-brained to do that." He bared his fangs, not trying to intimidate, but it was merely his body threatening to cough up blood.

Destiny got a good look at his torn-up, blood-red throat while he walked away from his leader. She gulped when she saw the shard of a fang stuck in his neck. _That must really hurt. Thank StarClan he's alive. No cat deserves to die like that._

"Well, I guess I'll hand over the attention of you guys to Houndstar," Titanstar meowed sheepishly.

"Thank you." Houndstar yawned, stretched, and meowed, "I would like to announce that Graypaw, an apprentice in SunClan, has been promoted to a warrior by the name of Graytail. Otherwise, I have nothing else to say."

Excited cats began to meow what seemed like static to Destiny. She slunk away, glad that she was allowed to leave this cramped place. The kit padded back to the nursery, which was a long trek, when a drop of light befell the clearing- sunrise.

_SnowClan never came._

Why would SnowClan not come to the gathering?

This was a question that stumped all cats everywhere- Clan cats, loners and even rogues.

But one important detail was missing. The gathering before this one, Blizzardstar had whispered something to the other two leaders. What had she said? And why aren't Titanstar and Houndstar telling their Clans? Is SnowClan even still alive?

It was something that haunted curious Destiny. She was the most timid cat, but that didn't mean she couldn't observe Clan politics at her young age.

"Destiny!" Shouts came from her mother, Cheetahpelt. "Destiny! Come eat some fresh-kill! You're probably hungry, right?"

_Leave me alone, I'm pondering. And I'm not hungry._

"Sorry, but I'm not hungry," Destiny mewed.

"More for your brothers, then! Be sure to eat soon before the other cats hog everything."

"Fine." Destiny got up from the slightly moist ground and padded toward the fresh-kill pile as her mommy called Shark and Orca. She hesitantly pulled out a mouse, dragged it a fox-length or so away, and ripped at the skin, revealing the hearty meat within. She carefully nipped at the meal and chewed, swallowed.

Orca and Shark came dashing rambunctiously toward the fresh-kill pile, and Destiny retreated farther away. More cats gathered around the repasts, and the kit watched uncomfortably as they all tore the skins apart.

She fed on a little bit more of the mouse until she had pushed her appetite past its limit. "Mom, I can't eat anymore. Do you want the rest of this?"

Cheetahpelt shook her head, and Destiny's brothers ran toward her. She backed up as she watched the same thing unfold, the ripping and the ruthless chowing.

Shivering from the terrible cold, she padded away to the nursery for a nap.

Destiny woke up in a large, open plain. She peered around. Many cats had gathered and were looking at a rust-colored cat who began to speak.

"Cats of all Clans," he began, "and especially cats of BloodClan, you have no need to believe me or disbelieve me. Tigerstar's crimes speak for themselves."

Destiny looked at one of the cats, who was watching intently.

"Hey," she mewed, "what's going on?"

The cat sushed her, and she did as told, looking back at the tom speaking.

"When he was still a warrior of ThunderClan, he murdered our deputy, Redtail, hoping to be made deputy himself. First Lionheart was chosen as deputy, but when that noble warrior died in a fight with ShadowClan, Tigerstar acheived his ambition at last."

He paused for a moment. All cats in the area were silent, except for a mumble from a cat near the kit. "Mew away, little kittypet. It won't change anything."

The cat up speaking seemed not to hear who Destiny knew was Tigerstar. "Being deputy wasn't enough. Tigerstar wanted to be leader of ThunderClan. He set a trap for Bluestar by the Thunderpath, but my own apprentice strayed into it instead. That's how Cinderpelt came by her crippled leg."

A shocked murmur swept through the clearing. Destiny overheard one cat saying, "Poor Cinderpelt! I hope she's okay."

"Then Tigerstar conspired with Brokentail, the former leader of ShadowClan, who was ThunderClan's prisoner," he continued. "He brought a pack of rogues into ThunderClan camp, and tried to murder Bluestar with his own paws. I stopped him, and when ThunderClan had beaten off the attack we drove him into exile. As a rogue, he slaughtered yet another one of our warriors, Runningwind. Then before we knew what he was up to, he made himself leader of ShadowClan."

The cat paused and looked around him. Except for two cats nearby, he had the attention of every cat in the clearing.

"But Tigerstar still wanted revenge on ThunderClan. Three moons ago, a pack of dogs got loose in the forest. Tigerstar caught prey for them, then laid a trail of dead rabbits between the dogs' lair and ThunderClan camp to lead them to us. He murdered one of our queens, Brindleface, and left her near the camp to give the dogs a taste for cat blood. If we hadn't found out in time to escape, the whole of ThunderClan could have been torn to pieces.

"Good riddance," Tigerstar growled.

"As it was, our leader, Bluestar, died the bravest death of any cat, saving me and the rest of the Clan from the pack," the cat speaking meowed.

Silence greeted the cat as his story came to an end. He glanced at an orange cat with black spots for a moment. "This is Tigerstar's history," he meowed urgently, turning to look at a small black cat. "It all shows one thing- that he'll do anything for power. If he promised you a share of the forest, don't believe him. He won't give up one pawprint, not to you or any cat."

All of a sudden a huge swirl of darkness covered the kit's eyes, and exhilaration pushed her body from an unconscious state into a state of awareness. Light nearly blinded the kit.

Destiny was woken up.

And a rust-colored cat with black stripes was standing over her.


	3. Chapter 3

Learn from the mistakes of others; you can't make them all yourself.

-Unknown

Hissing, Destiny flipped around onto her stubby legs and backed up to the wall of the nursery. The cat proceeded on her, fangs bared. The intruder swatted at the kit with his paw, shoving Destiny up against the side of the nursery. He grabbed her by the scruff, dragging her out of the nursery. The she-kit struggled, legs flailing and yowling.

Unfortunately it was moonhigh; all of RainClan was asleep and no cats were around. No one came to her rescue.

Destiny's legs grew tired and she stopped brawling. She peered up at the intruder's cold green eyes.

"What are you doing?" she mewed.

The tom growled through bared teeth, "Shut up."

"I- I..."

The cat's evil eyes squinted. He meowed, "I told you to shut up."

Destiny obeyed, fearing for her life. She silently prayed to StarClan. _Please, oh please, let me get out of this alive._

The clouds above suddenly poured rain, instantly soaking anything it touched. Destiny's tiny heart thudded away. Days seemed to pass as she was carried, helpless. A strike of electricity a few fox-lengths ahead startled the kit.

She got a good look at the intruder's eyes once again. His pupils were wider this time; Destiny didn't know if it was from fear or from darkness.

A lightning strike ignited a tree nearby. The tom froze from shock. The fire spread quickly; even the rain could not put it out. Her kidnapper backed up slowly, eyes wide with terror.

"N- n..." Destiny stopped herself from meowing anything more.

"What?" the tom snapped.

"Nothing..."

The intruder said nothing more. He padded under a rock and placed the kit inside of a tiny hole in it.

"Stay here," he hissed.

"What do you want with me?"

Suddenly a speck of sunshine appeared, and the tom looked up at the sky. "I have heard of a great prophecy," the tom began.

_What?_

"Where's Destiny?" Cheetahpelt was rushing around, worried, wondering where her beloved daughter could be.

"Mom, is Destiny okay?" Orca mewed worriedly.

"Mommy! Where is my sissy?" Shark's eyes were wide with distress.

"That's what I'm trying to find out!" the queen exclaimed. "Shark! Go tell this to Titanstar! Orca, search the camp!"

The two brothers looked at each other for a heartbeat; the exact same look of anxiety was on both of their faces. They rushed out of the nursery and did as they were told.  
Waterfall, who was in the nursery resting, suddenly opened an eye. "What's goin' on?" she asked.

"Destiny is missing!"

The yell from the mother in peril emanated throughout the entire camp. Cats crawled out of their dens, stretching and yawning, then rushing to the nursery.

"Destiny is missing?" one cat meowed.

"Yes," Cheetahpelt yowled, "my adopted daughter is missing. Please, if you've seen her, tell me. If you wanna search for her, please do. It would help-"

The she-cat couldn't take it any more. Tears stroked her cheeks, and she began to bawl. Wintermist ran up and tried to comfort her.

"It's okay," she mewed calmly, "we're making a search party right now. Titanstar and Applefoot know. We'll find Destiny, don't worry."

Cheetahpelt laid down and closed her eyes, droplets of water still streaming down her face. "Thank you," she whispered to the medicine cat. "P-please find my daughter."

"The prophecy explains that a single Clan cat will create darkness in the forest. They are a she-cat with a gray body and black stripes. They have something like a rain drop on their forehead. When I went searching the camps for this cat, you fit the description perfectly."

Destiny was stunned. She froze, pupils wide with surprise and horror. I will create darkness in the forest? I don't believe it.

"I- I think you've mistaken me for another cat. There's a newborn named Cricketkit in our Clan who looks just like me."

"No," the cat meowed, "only one cat has a rain drop on their forehead. It's you, I'm sure of it."

Destiny strained to look at her forehead, but her eyes did not roll up that far. "I can't see any rain drop."

"There is one. I promise," the tom said.

"Why do you want to get involved in a prophecy as dangerous as that? Why do you want me?" Destiny asked, shivering.

"The darkness is so powerful, it has the ability to conquer the lake territories and control every cat."

_No... StarClan wouldn't let that happen, would they? Why me, anyway? Am I that unlucky?_

"I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Tigerfang."

Destiny suddenly recognized the throat, which was still tinted with a bloody red. She remembered what her leader had said about him at the gathering, that he hunted in RainClan territory, that he attacked the patrol, that he planned an invasion. He was dangerous; perhaps even more dangerous than the prophecy laid out before her.

SnowClan didn't come to the gathering, I had a dream from StarClan, and now I've been kidnapped and heard about this stupid prophecy. What is going on?

"S-so I'm actually evil?"

"Not exactly," Tigerfang meowed. "Your soul isn't and the rest of you is."

The kit looked up at the sky. The rain has lightened up and the fire had been extingushed.

Without warning, another cat tackled the tom's side and he fell to the ground. "Get away from my daughter!" the cat growled, pinning Tigerfang to the ground. "I will rip your throat out if I have to."

Tigerfang batted at the she-cat and knocked her off of him. "You look nothing like her mother."

"I'm adopted, mouse-brain," Destiny spat. "When that prophecy comes true, I'll teach you a thing or two!"

"Prophecy?" Cheetahpelt rose up off the ground, eyes emmiting a curious aroma. "What do you mean, prophecy?"

Tigerfang was leapt at by Skyclaw and Thunderclaw. Tigerfang whimpered as Skyclaw repeated what she had done before. "Let me go! Fox-dung!"

"You said you'd never go into RainClan camp again. But here you are, kidnapping one of our kits? Unacceptable!" The warrior dug into the tom's throat even more. "You dung-eating mouse-brained... ugh!"

"Please!" he whimpered. "Let me go! I'll leave the forest! I won't-" he choked as Skyclaw tightened her grip.

"Be silent or you're dead!"  
Tigerfang obeyed, and the she-cat let go of him. "Now fulfil your promise and leave the forest. Don't ever come back."

"A-"

"Not a word. Go."

Tigerfang's head drooped down in shame. He padded away slowly and silently. Destiny watched, petrified. _What if the same thing happens to me?_

"Now tell me about this prophecy," Cheetahpelt meowed urgently.

"It was nothing," Destiny mewed in response. "Something about me taking over the forest with the power of darkness."

Oh, StarClan, no! Please let me keep this a secret.

"What?" The queen yowled. "That's not possible. That's not my daughter. He must've mistaken you for another cat."

Destiny shivered. _Should I tell her about the water drop? Er, no. I should keep this to myself._ "I guess. Phew."

The search party of three let out a sigh of relief. "Well, glad this is over. Let's bring you poor thing home," Thunderclaw meowed with reassurance.


	4. Chapter 4

_~No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.~_

_ -Unknown_

The rain battered the ground of RainClan camp. Lightning struck a tree, knocking it over on top of another, taller tree, which supported it.

"Guess we'll be in here for a while," Shark mewed.

"No duh," Orca responded, "look at the rain out there!"

One cat was left outside, pacing around and looking for shelter. "Hey! Come in here!" Cheetahpelt yowled. "There's plenty of room in the nursery!"

Just as the gray cat padded into the den, Cricketkit and Beetlekit began to nurse on Waterfall. The cat gave a look of slight amusement and went deeper into the den. "Thanks." He turned around and laid down in the only unoccupied feathered nest. "Lots of room, huh?"

"A- compared to the other dens, that is," Waterfall meowed.

Another bolt of lightning followed by thunder a few moments later struck in the distance. The sound of trees crashing down soon emanated from the forest in SnowClan territory.

SnowClan! Are they okay?

"What should we do in here, anyway?" Grasskit mewed. "I'm bored and it's small in here."

"Just sit and wait it out," Blackflower sighed.

"What is this place, anyway? I've never been here before," the gray cat meowed.

"This is RainClan. Aren't you part of it?" Cheetahpelt asked.

"RainClan? No, I'm a loner," the cat said. "I just stumbled upon your camp."

"Oh." The orange she-cat closed her eyes. "What's your name?"

"Dusty. I live around what you call the clearing."

Lighting rumbled again in the distance. "Well, I guess this storm isn't lightening up," Dusty chuckled. "I gotta thank you for letting me in here."

"Hey, no problem!" Cheetahpelt curled up into a tight ball. "Everyone should take a nap. It's a good time to."

All of the kits did as told while Waterfall and Dusty stayed up to watch them. Ever since Destiny's disappearance, the Clan has been more careful to guard the nursery.

"So, who's the father of these beautiful kits?" the tom asked the queen.

"Underfall. He died in a battle with a fox."

Destiny again awoke in the clearing, surrounded by cats and with the same rust-colored tom standing next to the black and striped toms up front.

"Tigerstar told me what he planned to do with the dogs when he visited me two moons ago," the black cat meowed abruptly, turning to Tigerstar. "He did not tell me his plan failed."

"None of that matters now," the striped tom meowed. "We have an agreement with you, Scourge. Fight beside me now, and you'll have all I offered you."

"My Clan and I fight when I choose," the cat Destiny knew was Scourge meowed. To the speaker tom he added, "I will think about what you have said. There will be no battle today."

Tigerstar's fur bristled with rage and his tail lashed side-to-side as he dropped into a crouch. "Traitor!" he screeched as he leaped at Scourge with claws extended. The black cat whipped to one side and lashed out with his paws when the tabby turned to face him. His claws were reinforced with long, sharp teeth.

Scourge batted at Tigerstar's shoulder, knocking him over and exposing his belly. The tiny cat's claws sank into the leader's throat. Blood welled out as Scourge's claws ripped Tigerstar head to tail.

A desperate scream of fury erupted from the huge tom, broken off by a ghastly choke. His body convulsed, limbs jerking and tail flailing. For a moment a stillness took over his body.

Scourge stepped back as Tigerstar's body convulsed yet again. The blood, the moment of stillness, it all happened eight more times until the leader laid there lifeless.

Destiny knew that that was a dream. She was aroused by Cheetahpelt, who meowed, "Are you okay, dear?"

The kit opened her eyes wider to find all of the cats in the nursery looking down at her with worry. "Oh, my daughter! I thought you were dead!"

Dusty was the only one with no relief but only excitement. "Guess what? Call me Dustpaw! I'm a warrior now!"

"Apprentice," Blackflower meowed. "You are a warrior in training. 'Kit' is at the end of a name for a kit, 'paw' is for an apprentice, and 'star' is for the leader of a Clan. Warriors, medicine cats, and deputies can all have anything from 'wing' to 'stripe' at the end of their name."

"So, who's my deputy?" Dustpaw asked.

"I think you mean mentor," Blackflower giggled. "Mentors are cats who train apprentices."

"Oh!" the apprentice laughed. "I understand."

"I forgot something," Cheetahpelt said, "how is it outside?"

Grasskit was the first one to dash out of the nursery followed by Treekit and (hesitantly) Flowerkit. Despite the rain stopping, the siblings missed an extraordinary phenomenon- the week old brother and sister, Cricketkit and Beetlekit, opened their eyes.

First Beetlekit did; he had beautiful blue eyes. Cricketkit followed a few moments later. Her eyes were also blue, but she had a slightly lighter shade of it. Star-shaped sparkles were in her eyes because of her catching the sun outside.

"They're beautiful," Dustpaw meowed. "Too bad the 'plant trio' missed this."

"Agreed!" Destiny finally got a mew in for the first time since the storm. "I hope they grow up well."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Just wanted to put a little note...**_

_**There's something going on with Dustpaw. Like he's wrong in the brain. It is revealed in chapter 10, which is the final chapter.**_

_**But seriously he's waaaayyyyy wrong in the brain ok? Keep that in mind.**_

_**Also I'm gonna post another story soon! It's called Snowfur's Prophecy *Sniffle* It's basically Bluestar's Prophecy from her sister's point of view. Except it doesn't go up just until she dies, it goes past that- her life in StarClan, seeing her mother again. So yeah.**_

* * *

~There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.~

-_Maya Angelou_

Firestar stood, regal and grand, on the cloud above RainClan camp. The cold breeze caught his pelt and made it dance in the wind.

"You've been there for a while now," Sandstorm yawned. "Aren't you tired?"

"I am," he chuffed. "I just need to watch over a cat very closely."

"Why?" his mate inquired.

"This kit is part of a prophecy. It's a dangerous one. I would be down there helping her but I am satisfied with my decision to die for ThunderClan." Firestar curled up into a ball and kept looking down at the tiny cat. "In a quarter moon she will become an apprentice."

"Oh," the she-cat meowed.

"I hope she got the message I sent her," Firestar mrrowwed.

"What message?"

"I sent her two dreams." Firestar kept peering down. "They were dreams of when Scourge killed Tigerstar. I hope she understands the meaning of them. They could save her life- and others'- someday."

"Oh," she laughed, "I should've known!"

"Even StarClan's fate rests on her shoulders."

"Oh," Sandstorm meowed worriedly. "It would be hard to carry a prophecy by yourself."

"I know," Firestar responded, "but I've had a good feeling about this cat ever since she first opened her eyes. Her part in the prophecy is… how do I say this? Neutral. She's good and evil. But the kindness inside of her is stronger than darkness will ever be."

"How, um, nice," Sandstorm gulped. "Are you sure about this, Firestar? She can't defeat darkness if she is the darkness."

"You'll see." Firestar smiled, meowing, "Her spirit is powerful."

"Come eat some fresh-kill!" Cheetahpelt meowed loudly to her kits. "I caught it myself!"

Shark came trotting up but froze and crouched a few fox-lengths away. His eyes were locked on to the half- eaten rabbit on the edge of the pile. He stalked slowly until he did the final pounce and began ripping and tearing at the prey.

"Wow!" his mother purred. "You're a little warrior already!"

Orca came padding up next, just running up and grabbing a mouse. He chewed it at a slow pace.

Destiny was next. She carefully stalked up to the pile and grabbed a vole. She then ran toward the nursery and chowed there.

"Now I can talk to myself peacefully," she thought out loud. "StarClan? Are you there?"

A firefly lit up for a split second, not showing much light at sunhigh, but it was light enough for Destiny. "StarClan!" she meowed joyfully.

"Now, I think the dreams I had are from you, right?" Destiny asked. The tiny insect's light flickered again three times.

"Yes!" Destiny was finally figuring this out. "I have another question. Was what Tigerfang said true?"

No response came this time. The kit sighed. "Why can't I know my true fate?"

Again, no response. The young she-cat began to get frustrated. "Am I really part of this prophecy?" she yowled as she gritted her teeth in anger, looking up at the sky. "Come on! Answer me!"

Finally, a tiny piece of ash drifted in the Breeze. The ash landed on a tree, causing a tiny spark which was fended off by the water dripping out of the giant Oak.

"What does that mean?" Destiny meowed, confused. "What are you trying to tell me? It's true?"

Just as the firefly began to flicker, Destiny heard some cat shouting her name. She turned away just as the light turned on a third time.

Yes? That's not possible! This can't be happening! Why?

"Destiny!" The voice shouted for her again. "Are you okay?"

The kit had to make a decision quickly. Should she tell her mother about the prophecy? Should she keep it secret?

"Destiny? You there, honey?"

"Yes, mom." She had made her decision thanks to a quick vision from StarClan about the cons of telling her. "I'm fine."

"You were yowling, sweetie. Why?"

"Um…" Destiny's conflicting mind struggled to decide what to say. "I was just asking StarClan for advice."

"Oh," Cheetahpelt meowed. "About the prophecy?"

Fox dung! Did I say too much?

"Well, I asked them if I was really part of it. They said no."

"Thank goodness." Cheetahpelt sighed in relief. "Because your job isn't to carry a prophecy; it's to grow up well into a full-fledged warrior!"

"Yeah!" Destiny shouted in half from ease of mind and half from agreement.

The kit was asleep in the nursery when she woke up in a dark, dreary, gray forest. Another dream?

A rust-colored cat with dark stripes approached her. "Welcome to the Dark Forest," he meowed. "I am Tigerstar, the cat Tigerfang was named after."

Destiny began to shiver. Dark Forest? Tigerstar?

"I will help you through this prophecy. You are evil, and eventually other cats will find out. Only cats from here, the Dark Forest, will understand you. Come, I will offer you an agreement."

The kit gulped. "I- I'm okay, thanks."

"Don't be scared," the massive tom meowed, "I only kill my enemies."

The she-cat sighed. "Fine. Show me this offer of yours."

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but when some cats die, StarClan doesn't accept them. Then they go to the Dark Forest."

"Why doesn't StarClan accept them?" Destiny thought all cats went to the sky when they died.

"When StarClan thinks they were mean or evil in their lives." Tigerstar sighed. "We cats here in the Dark Forest hate StarClan with a passion. They think we're bad. So we want revenge on them."

The she-cat wasn't liking where this was going. Not one bit.

"So listen. You're evil too. You will go to the Dark Forest eventually. But if we teach StarClan a lesson or two before that, they will accept you. Break the Warrior Code. Tell every single cat, _every single cat_, to break it with you. If everyone does it, StarClan won't like it one bit. That's when you say, 'If you want us to behave, let all cats from the Dark Forest and all cats who will die after this into the ranks."

"No!" Destiny growled without thinking. "I won't do it! Not ever! StarClan is on my side! They sent me dreams and banished nightmares!

Tigerstar was infuriated. He crouched into a position to pounce, tail lashing side to side, and yowled, "Traitor!"

Destiny backed up, hissing. She suddenly remembered something: the dream.

"Remember what happened last time you pounced like that, mouse-brain?"

Tigerstar froze. The kit could tell that his eyes were seeing flashbacks, memories.

"Fox dung!" Tigerstar leaped at the she-cat. "I don't care!"

Destiny whipped to one side and knocked him over with a blow to the shoulder. He landed on his back, exposing his belly. "I'll do it," she hissed, unsheathing her sharp claws while pinning him down with her other front paw.

"Stop! Stop!" Tigerstar yowled! "Stop! I'll leave you alone!" Hesitantly, the kit lifted her paw off of him.

"Stay," she scolded. "See you next nap. Or not."

"I needed all of you to gather today because I need to make an announcement," the RainClan leader meowed.

All of the Clan had gathered in the heart of the territory. It was the only place where the ground was even slightly dry. Dead leaves covered the floor here.

"First off," Titanstar announced, "a loner has joined our Clan as an apprentice. Meet Dustpaw."

With a look of great pride on his face, the gray cat padded up next to the leader. "Th- thanks," he stammered. "I hope to train to become a loyal and powerful warrior and defend RainClan with my life."

"Dustpaw!" The whole Clan shouted. "Welcome!"

The new RainClanner was smiling, but he turned to Destiny, who was at the back of the crowd, and frowned. His eyes glared directly at her for a heartbeat (well, the kit's heart skipped one.)

"Also," Titanstar continued as he motioned at Dustpaw to sit back down, "I have decided to send this evening's patrol to SnowClan territory. Only two cats will go, though: Blackflower, your kits will be nursed by Cheetahpelt while you're gone tonight. Dustpaw, your new mentor is Blackflower, and you will travel with her. Please come back safely. May StarClan light your path."

Again the apprentice peered over at Destiny and frowned._ Does he know about…? No, I shouldn't be so quick to jump to a conclusion._

Dustpaw struggled to keep up with his mentor.

"Gee, you walk fast," he chuckled.

"Thanks, it's one of the things I'll teach you." Blackflower stopped walking. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Around fifteen moons," he meowed. "I'm just now fully grown."

"Apprentices-" she stopped herself because she knew Dustpaw would be confused.

"Apprentices what?"

"Apprentices are normally six moons old. Because you're new in the Clan, though, you must learn the ways of the Warrior Code." Blackflower kept on walking, her apprentice padding up beside her.

"Oh, I see." Dustpaw smiled, realized he was lagging behind his mentor, and quickened his pace.

"We're here." The queen stopped abruptly at the edge of the border. "You can stay behind, if you want."

"Are you kidding me?" Dustpaw meowed. "I wouldn't stay if you made me eat crow-food!"

"Okay, then. Let's go," Blackflower mrrowed.

A sudden chilly wind caught the pairs' fur. Hesitantly, the mentor took a slow paw step forward. Her eyes closed and opened again in fear of what could possibly lay beyond.

"Are you okay?" Dustpaw's comforting words soothed her a little.

"I'm fine. I just worry about my kits."

"They're fine in the paws of Cheetahpelt." The tom turned away for a moment, mumbled something to himself, and looked back at the she-cat. "I know they are."

The queen sighed. "I sure hope so. Cricketkit and Beetlekit aren't the most self-sufficient."

"They're fine! Stop worrying!" the apprentice meowed.

"I guess they're okay." The she-cat put the other paw in front and crossed into SnowClan territory.

Suddenly a white cat with gray paws and snout jumped at Blackflower and began to fight her. "Stop!" the queen growled. "What are you doing?"

The attacker said nothing and sank his vicious claws into her back as she struggled to free herself. "Help!" she yowled.

Acting quickly, Dustpaw pounced on the back of the cat and tried to pull him off of her. The tom fell back but rolled right back up like a pullbug and leapt on Dustpaw. But the stranger froze for a second and jumped off of the apprentice. He then proceeded to flip the already badly bleeding Blackflower.

"Stop," the tom growled through gritted teeth, "she's my mentor! She's important!"

The tom, on top of the bleeding she-cat who was belly-up, paused and looked at Dustpaw. He slowly and hesitantly lifted off of Blackflower and bolted deeper inside of his territory.

"Are you okay?" The worried voice of the apprentice didn't help the mentor's confidence.

"I- I… am not." The Tuxedo cat was lying on her side on the snowy ground, covered in blood. The huge injury on her back was a menace; if left untreated, Blackflower was going to slip away any minute.


	6. Chapter 6

~It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.~

-Aristotle Onassis

Emberstep padded slowly toward the rat, keeping crouched down low to the ground with her belly touching it. She squinted; it was a new moon, the light very little. When the warrior was a few inches away she pounced, but her leg faltered and she tripped, scaring the prey.

"Fox dung!" the she-cat hissed. "Stupid!" she added, looking at her left back leg.

It was rust-colored like the rest of her body, but it was badly deformed and twisted from a birth defect.

"Just… ugh! I can't take this anymore! I have to get this stupid thing fixed!" she yowled with great anger. "Fox-dung, fox-dung, fox-dung!"

She limped away to the left, the direction of the medicine den, all of her dignity gone.

"Why does it have to be me with the stupid leg?" Emberstep growled to herself.

After what seemed like an entire moon of dragging her leg with the rest of her limbs, the she-cat finally reached Magentapelt.

"Hey!" the warrior yowled.

"Your leg again?" The medicine cat read her mind.

Emberstep sighed. "Yes."

"Follow me."

The cats padded into the medicine den together.

"It's bothered you enough, hasn't it?" Magentapelt meowed.

"Yes," the warrior growled, looking at her faulty leg.

"Tell me what happened."

"I was hunting," she began, "and when I pounced, my leg slipped out from under me and I fell on it. The rat ran away in the midst of it." She again looked at her leg, frowning and sighing.

"This is the last straw," Magentapelt meowed, "you're gonna have to stay in the elders' den."

"No!" Emberstep yowled, "I'm a warrior! Nothing can change that, not even this stupid thing!" She stormed out of the den.

"Wait!" the medicine cat yowled, "come back!"

"So I figured I would tell you," the warrior meowed depressedly.

"How terrible! All because of a leg," the kit responded.

"But I told you not because I felt like it but because I have a good feeling about you. Because I feel like, even though you're pretty strange, you can relate to me."

Destiny smiled. "Thanks," she mumbled.

_I'm strange? __Why me? She's an outcast?_

"I just feel it about you," Emberstep continued, "you're a lot like me."

Destiny shivered, suddenly remembering the prophecy. _Does she know or suspect?_

"Why are you shivering?"

"I'm cold," the kit mewed. She looked at the warrior's leg and shivered again at the horendous sight it was.

"Aww," the she-cat meowed sympathetically. "Let's get you to the nursery."

The two cats looked up at the light rain that was pouring down for a heartbeat and padded to the right toward the nursery. Within a few moments they were there. Cheetahpelt and all of the kits were waiting.

"Hi guys!" Treekit mewed. "Guess what? Three days until our apprentice ceremonies!" he added with excitement. Flowerkit gave a shy smile and Grasskit grinned and jumped up and down.

Destiny copied Flowerkit's expression while her brothers and Blackflower's kits ran into the den and Treekit told them the same news.

Cricketkit and Beetlekit, now about a moon old, looked up and mewed, "What about us?"

"You have to wait five moons," Grasskit snarled.

"Quiet!" Cheetahpelt scolded. "Wait, what is Emberstep doing here?"

Everyone in the nursery suddenly silenced and turned to look at the warrior.

"Um, hi," the she-cat meowed, embarrassed. "I just brought Destiny to the nursery because it's cold outside."

The kits all looked back at each other with confused expressions. The queens kept peering at the warrior.

Emberstep sighed. "I was talking to her and she shivered from the chilly air outside. So I took her to the nursery."

The kits gave an _oohh_ of reassurance. Destiny chuckled to herself. Flowerkit heard this and began to laugh hysterically, which caused a chain reaction that had the entire nursery cracking up.

"Welcome," Titanstar mrrowed, "to the apprentice ceremony of RainClan." The leader looked back and shuffled his paws. "These six kits have come of age well, and we will soon recognize them as apprentices."

The crowd of the gathered cats cheered. The plant trio, standing on the right of Titanstar with the used-to-be-rogues on the left, were the only ones without a smile on their face.

"What's wrong?" Orca whispered to the siblings.

"I'm worries about Blackflower and her kits," Flowerkit responded quietly.

"They're okay," Orca reassured her.

"We will begin with the firstborn of these six. Treekit, please come up next to me," the RainClan leader continued.

The frown on the kit's face turned upside down as fast as lightning. He padded up to the tom and stood regally and proudly.

"Treekit," he meowed, looking down at the young tom, "do you promise to be taught the ways of a warrior and StarClan?"

His eyes lit up. "I do."

"So from now on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Treepaw. Your mentor is Thunderclaw."

The new mentor peered around with a smile on his face while his apprentice mewed to Titanstar, "Thank you."

"Now," the leader carried on, "Grasskit. Come."

The brother came running up excitedly. His pupils were wide and his mouth was hanging slightly open.

"Do you pledge to learn the ways of a warrior and StarClan?"

"I do," the kit mewed without hesitation.

"So from now on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Grasspaw. Your mentor will be Skyclaw."

Grasspaw looked at his mentor and came running toward her. She shared tongues with him for a moment, and he went back up next to Flowerkit and Treepaw.

"Flowerkit," Titanstar went on, "please come up here."

The kit overlooked the crowd behind her and gave a shy smile. She padded up to the leader.

"Do you vow to learn the ways of a warrior and of StarClan?"

Flowerkit mewed, "No. I vow to be a medicine cat."

A blanket of whispers covered the gathered cats.

"Okay," Titanstar meowed, "from now on until you receive your medicine cat name you will be known as Flowerpaw. Your mentor will be Wintermist."

Wintermist smiled at Flowerpaw. "Yes!" she meowed, "I got an apprentice!"

The new apprentice gave a tiny grin back.

"Now we move on to another group of siblings only a quarter-moon younger. Destiny, please come."

Shark and Orca whispered to her, "You can do it!" and pushed her up next to the RainClan leader.

"Do you swear to learn the ways of a warrior and of StarClan?"

Before the kit had a chance to say, "I do," a riot of cats lead by a pure white one ran up to the area where the cats had gathered and began to attack every cat in their sight. Yowls of pain and panic quickly surged through the group. The leader, kits and apprentices at the front stood in shock at the invading SnowClan.

Instinctively, Titanstar leapt down at the invaders and began to fight. "Stop!" His yowl rose over all other noises, but the horde of bodies ignored him. "Stay!" he meowed, turning back to the kits up where he was. "Stay there!"

The plant trio disobeyed. They jumped into the crowd on top of a cat that looked familiar to Destiny with his light gray fur, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

But suddenly it hit her.

_Dustpaw!_

Feeling betrayed by a friend, the kit followed the trio into the cluster of bodies. "Wait!" her brothers screeched, hounding after her.

Mouse-brained fox-dung! Stupid Dustpaw! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!

The apprentice shook the siblings off and looked at the approaching Destiny with a scowl on his face. Just as the kit was within striking range, Emberstep appeared out of nowhere and knocked the tom over with a blow to the shoulder. The she-cat warrior tripped and tumbled over him, landing right on her bad leg. She let out a shriek of excruciating pain when Skyclaw ran over to her.

After watching this unfold amidst the battling, Destiny turned to face the traitor, now leaping at her with his claws outstretched. She barely dodged a hit to the face, whipping to her left and knocking him over with a slash at his side. He yowled from the pain of the fall but still defended himself when the tiny she-cat pawed at him.

Again she suddenly remembered the dream she had; how Scourge took away the lives of Tigerstar with one blow. Improvising, she leapt at his stomach with her claws outstretched. Realizing what was happening, Dustpaw shifted just enough so that the apprentice scratched his leg instead. Only thinking about the dream, Destiny jumped onto his side.

And, with a single talon out, she cut him open.

He let out a shriek of intolerable pain as all of the battling cats stopped and stared at Dustpaw and Destiny. Both Clans looked uncomfortable, and the pure white one who lead the invasion bared her teeth and growled, "You're dead, Destiny."

Half of the cats in the riot stared at the she-cat and began to mob her. A calico ran over to the bleeding young tom just nearly killed by Destiny and rubbed a leaf of some sort on his wound. The rest of the cats glared at the apprentice and back at the kit in disbelief. Shark and Orca stepped up from the crowd and turned to face RainClan.

"Stop," Orca mewed. "A traitor is a traitor. He made the wrong choice."

"He's just an apprentice!" one cat yowled.

"He got lost in SnowClan!" another cat blared.

"Shush! Be quiet and let us talk!" the other brother squealed.

"Why do we have to follow orders from you when you're just a kit?" Another cat asked.

Shouts of agreement rose up above the cats. SnowClan seemed to ignore the siblings but did not attack Destiny. Dustpaw had his eyes closed, napping while the calico stood over him. His gash, now closed up most of the way, was not very big and shed little blood compared to what killed Tigerstar.

_Mouse-dung!_

Destiny padded through the now listening attentively SnowClan. She got up in between her brothers and mewed with the most innocence she could muster, "I'm sorry. I truly am. I thought that since he was in the back of the group of invaders, he had joined SnowClan. I will do anything to make it up to you." During the latter words of her speech she turned to Dustpaw.

He opened his eyes and meowed, "Do you know what you could do? Suffer this same injury. Go through what you put me through."

The same sounds of agreement rippled through the cats. Destiny shivered.

"Wait," she suddenly thought out loud, "if Dustpaw is not part of SnowClan, why is SnowClan taking care of him?"

All of RainClan stopped and thought about it. The other Clan, meanwhile, looked surprised and worried at the same time, perhaps from the intellect of the kit or from possibly being given away. The tiny she-cat could not tell for sure.

The calico backed away from the healed apprentice. "Thanks a lot," she heard him mumble. "Now I'm almost certainly facing the death penalty."

"Destiny!" Titanstar shouted, "I don't care about this stupid ceremony! You are now Destinypaw and your mentor is Emberstep! Same with Sharkpaw and Orcapaw! Your mentors are Riverclaw and Windclaw!"

RainClan cheered at both the new apprentices and at the fleeing SnowClan. The pure white one, however, stayed and padded up to the leader. "Blizzardstar," she meowed. "Long time no see."

"Go away," Titanstar hissed. "You just invaded us!"

"I don't need to be told that I just invaded you," the other leader growled.

The six new apprentices stood in conflict with mixed feeling about the situation. Applefoot sat tense and ready to pounce. Dustpaw just laid blankly on his side in the moist, mossy ground.

"I don't give a fox-dung about what you need to be told and don't! Just go away!"

"There is a rule, you know- an honorable warrior does not need to kill to win his battles. But what did this Destiny just do? She attempted to kill one of her own." Blizzardstar peered over at Dustpaw and at the new apprentice, then back to Titanstar. "That is why we invaded."

Titanstar meowed, "First of all, it's Destiny_paw_, and second-"

"I thought that he had joined SnowClan because I saw him in the riot of invaders," Destinypaw cut the tom off. "So I attacked him."

"Yeah!" her brothers mewed simultaneously. "Stop bullying her!"

Blizzardstar sighed. "But she should have recognized Dustpaw as a member of RainClan. Her selfish and mouse-brained mind is flawed, however."

"You calling her a mouse-brain?" Shark growled.

"You barely know her! You have no right to judge her, or anybody!" Orca added.

"Oh, I know her all too well," the SnowClan leader mrrowed, glaring at Destinypaw.

_She knows!_

After a few tense moments of cats glaring in untrust, the last invader remaining had finally left hesitantly. Her last words to RainClan were, "I'm watching you."

At least that's what they told Destinypaw, who was just waking up from a state of unconsciousness due to a bite at the throat from Blizzardstar. She found herself in a nest in the medicine den filled with blood. Blackflower was lying a couple fox-lengths away. Pumaflight was sitting next to Flowerpaw at the back of the den, smiling for the first time since he caught Greencough, which only meant one thing- he was cured.

"I've got you taken care of," Magentapelt meowed. "Wintermist is collecting the herbs necessary for you to heal."

The apprentice was more interested about why the cat who was attacked by SnowClan before the ceremony was lying still while Destinypaw's nest was filled with blood. "What happened to Blackflower?"

The medicine cat looked at Pumaflight uncomfortably, then peered back at the curious apprentice. "She joined StarClan."

Wintermist padded into the den without warning. "Hey-oh! Got the stuff."

Magentapelt frowned. "Hello."

The other medicine cat ignored and continued walking to her apprentice. "Do you know what to do with these?"

The answer was a shy and almost embarrassed no.

"It's okay, watch and learn." The mentor stepped up to Destinypaw and rubbed some leaf on her wound. She then proceeded to feed her another one.

"What are those?" Flowerpaw asked.

"I'll tell you eventually, but I can't in the company of these guys." Wintermist's eyes scanned the den.

"Why?"

"Only medicine cats can know what certain herbs are. At least, that's a new rule made. Don't ask me who made it, I don't know." The she-cat then grabbed another green thing and rubbed it on Destinypaw's throat.

"Wow," the apprentice responded shyly.

"Just to let you know," Magentapelt broke in, "I'm retiring to an elder after Flowerpaw becomes a medicine cat."

"Uh, okay," Wintermist responded.

"Ah, mouse-dung!" Pumaflight shouted abruptly. "I try to get up once, and I slip and fall."

Only now did Destinypaw notice that Emberstep was in the medicine den. "I know how you feel."

"What about Dustpaw? Who's his mentor now?" the warrior meowed.

"I honestly don't know what happens when a mentor dies in the middle of one's apprenticeship. It never happened to me."

A grim silence suddenly gripped the den. Wintermist's eyes widened, and Destinypaw could feel and hear the she-cat's heart pounding from tail-lengths away. "What's the matter?" she asked the older cat.

"I- I've gotta go," she stammered, and rushed out of the den. Magentapelt soon followed in the same trance, Flowerpaw next.

"I wonder where they're going," the only remaining apprentice in the den thought out loud.

"Maybe to the Moonpool. They probably got a message from StarClan." Emberstep sighed, curled up into a tight ball, and continued, "I hope it's a good one."

Destinypaw shivered at the idea of a message of death from her wise ancestors when she remembered the prophecy- could the entire Clan uncover her deepest, darkest secret?

_I have received a sign from StarClan. They never really do that unless the cat is a medicine cat. Does that mean I'm destined to be one?_

Destinypaw padded out of the apprentices' den to meet all of the new apprentices to play. It was the day before her training begun. It meant that she had one more day to change her mind.

"I've been thinking," Flowerpaw meowed, "I don't think I'm cut out to be a medicine cat. I honestly think that I'm better off as a warrior."

"Why?" Grasspaw mewed, cocking his head to one side. "You're so shy, you'd probably die from fear before you die from injury."

"I don't know if you realize this, but lately I've had a dream from StarClan," Destinypaw broke in roughly. "They said I should be the medicine cat." The apprentice knew she was lying, but receiving a dream from StarClan at all was a signal of who should be what.

"Should we ask Titanstar if we could trade mentors?" Flowerpaw looked more and more intrigued with every heartbeat.

"Yeah!" the entire group mewed in unison. "Let's do it!"

"I'll ask," Flowerpaw responded. "Hopefully he agrees. Your dream is pretty much a sentence to that, don't you think?"

"Let's do this!" Destinypaw mewed excitedly.


End file.
